Poverty and Pollution Essay

Poverty and Pollution As scientists understand more about environmental chemicals than ever before and researchers peer more closely at the effects of pollutants on animals and human beings, ethical concerns arise. Traditionally, businesses have shown indifference towards the environment and companies have harmed the environment despite the fact that it was unwarranted to do so. People at one point thought that the world’s resources could be taken without end and the damage done would be insignificant, because the world was seen as such a large place. The ethical implications of businesses polluting in third world countries involve the responsibilities that a business enterprise and entails a social arrangement that necessitates legitimacy with the various communities upon which it is dependent. Businesses have moral obligations as regards the communities in which they operate and it includes the protecting of the environment. Most businesses take it for granted that they have obligations to communities within these countries that are beyond simply providing jobs and delivering goods or services. These ethical obligations include refraining from polluting the environment and operate in a fashion that would not result in any unwarranted harm, as failure to do so violate the basic universal human rights of man of the country. There are many reasons why businesses conduct operations in a third world country and disregard pollution control. Often, these countries have extremely poor environmental situations, environmental regulations are few and not seriously enforced, and businesses take advantage of the dilemma of these third world countries. They dump garbage, hazardous waste, and build plants, which emit considerable pollution in third world nations to avoid the regulations of their own country. Environmental responsibility is a vital component of a business strategy and it not only helps improve the environment, but it wins the trust of communities’ and gains the respect of the governments of the countries in which the business operates. All businesses have an impact on the environment: they emit pollution, they produce waste, and use resources. However, balancing business growth and environmental quality is always going to be a challenge for business. Laws regarding environmental and social issues have placed heightened demands on corporations to honor widely held social values, such as controlling the degradation of natural resources. Businesses are encouraged to have an environmental policy, just as they do for many other issues. This has often been a reaction to consumer pressure, and international pressure from organizations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature. Should wealthy nations help underdeveloped and third world countries prevent pollution? Perhaps industrial countries' governments could contribute money to third world countries industrial sectors if they comply with higher environmental quality standards. In that way, industries would not have to worry about losing international business to surrounding countries and the extra foreign funding would offset the cost of implementing environmental friendly technology. This would only be feasible if the benefits from industrial countries derived a social benefit greater than the amount paid to third world countries. It could even help to prevent the future deterioration of our planet's most precious and unpolluted resources. Part of the problem with current international negotiations on the environment is that most developing countries are disadvantaged scientifically and lack the capability to inventory and monitor their resources. If we are to move toward the kind of transition ethics, developing countries will have to become full and equal partners by obtaining better access to science and by developing their own scientific capabilities. Human beings have a moral right to a livable

Show More